VIDEO: Police dog savages suspect's NECK during arrest

A POLICE force is investigating video footage showing a topless suspect being savaged by a police dog during an arrest.

The incident was filmed by a member of the public [KERRI CLAYTON/SWNS]

A video of the shirtless man apparently being bitten in the neck during an incident in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, has gone viral on the internet today.

The man is lying on his front in the road when the barking dog, which is on a lead, lunges forward and appears to sink its teeth into his neck, dragging him forward a short way.

The footage was uploaded by student Kerri Claydon, 18, who described the incident as "shocking".

She said: "The man was asked to get on the floor which is what he did. He was then threatened with a Taser although they didn't Taser him.

"Then the dog went for him. It was quite shocking and the man was bleeding a lot. They managed to get the dog off but it carried on barking at him.

"It didn't look like the officer had control, he was only holding the lead with one hand and I think a car may have put him off his balance. This is what police dogs are trained to do.

"They then handcuffed him and took him away."

Kerri did not witness the incident which led up to the arrest but Avon and Somerset Police described it as a "large fight involving a number of people".

Assistant Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe of Avon and Somerset Police said: "Police were called to the Regent Street area of Weston-super-Mare in the early hours of Saturday morning to reports of a large fight involving a number of people.

"During this incident, a man was bitten by a police dog as he was being arrested.

"We are aware of a YouTube clip and comments on social media channels about this incident.

"The incident has been referred to our professional standards department for thorough investigation as we are keen to understand what happened. The YouTube clip is only a few seconds long and doesn't show events before or after the arrest.

"As this is a live investigation, it would be wrong to comment further.

"We are appealing for anyone who saw this incident to call our professional standards department via the 24-hour police enquiry centre on 101."

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